


Enigmatic

by teetertotterer



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: College, F/M, Haikyuu - Freeform, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:21:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26139589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teetertotterer/pseuds/teetertotterer
Summary: In which nineteen-year-old, university freshman Ueda Katsuki (who happens to hate group projects) finds her group mate, Tsukishima Kei (also a nineteen-year-old university freshman who happens to be the Middle Blocker of Sendai Frogs) a pain in the butt. No pun intended.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei / Original Female Character
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm a new author here so please forgive my formatting. Obligatory "English is not my native language." I've written fanfiction before but stopped for some years due to life happening. As such, I would really appreciate feedback. I'd like Tsukki's personality to not be too OOC but I cannot exactly guarantee it. Also, please expect this to be a S L O W burn. 
> 
> I cannot promise that I'll be finishing this fic either, because LIFE and sometimes/most of the time I'm just a crappy author. I do apologize for that in advance.

'Enigmatic.'

If Ueda Katsuki had to choose a word to describe Tsukishima Kei, it would be that. But really, it was just difficult to find a single word that means “somebody who manages to make you wish you could bitch slap him every single day.” But it is what it is.

Katsuki could still remember the first time she met the guy. It was in the Introduction to Art History class during the second semester of her freshman year at the College of Fine Arts in Tohoku University's Sendai Campus. Group projects were a thing she thought (read as: hoped) did not exist in university but there she was assigned in a group of five members, one of which was Tsukishima Kei. He was a freshman sharing the same major as hers, Art History. She knew this because they attended the same orientation during the first semester.

Being a fan of the Sendai Frogs (more specifically, a fan of Kyotani Kentarou), Katsuki knew about Tsukishima Kei. She was also aware that he was popular among the female students in the university due to his athleticism and his looks. She had seen him on TV several times before so she knew he was good looking. Heck, she would even admit to herself that he’s attractive (still, Kyotani was her number 1), but what surprised her was seeing how tall he was in person.

Looking at the rest of her groupmates, Katsuki decided that the group had a bit of hope. Toda Nanami was in the same year and college except she was majoring in Painting. She spent the class fangirling over Tsukishima, who acted nice enough to oblige taking a picture with her. It seemed like he did it out of 'obligation' as a representative of his team, but Katsuki had to admit that he was still nice enough to entertain the girl. Kondo Takahashi was a sophomore who had to drop some classes last year due to health problems. He seemed like a responsible yet easy-going upperclassman. Last was Wagamatsu Yuu, another freshman. He was majoring in Visual Arts. He made the impression of being a sleazy guy when he attempted to get both Katsuki's and Nanami’s numbers AND THEN ask both of of the girls out during the first day of class.

The project (which also included a presentation) was going to be a huge part of their final grade. Thankfully that meant that they had the whole semester to finish but there were mini-deadlines for drafts and other things in between. First thing the group needed to do was to draft a proposal. The group agreed to split up the research work and meet the next day at the library. Not exactly looking forward to working in a group, Katsuki prayed that group projects in uni were different from how they were in high school.

The end of the class marked the end of Katsuki's first week in her second semester in university. She was somehow relieved that she didn’t have a lot of subjects this semester because that meant she had more free time than the last semester. Walking out the building with the rest of her groupmates, Katsuki spotted her dorm mate, Yamaguchi Tadashi. He was a freshman in the same university who attended the College of Telecommunications & Electronics.

“Yama-chan!” Katsuki waved the green-haired guy over excitedly, a gesture that calls Tsukishima’s attention.

“Oh, Ueda! Hi! You’re here too.” Yamaguchi greeted her back cheerfully then turned to the tall blonde, who gave him an inquisitive look.

“Tsukki, this is Ueda Katsuki. She stays in the same dorm as me.” He answers the question implied by the look on his friend’s face.

“Wow. You guys know each other? Small world, huh.” The brunette commented, smiling at both of them. It was then Yamaguchi’s turn to cast her a confused look to which Katsuki explained the group project.

“Ahhh. What a coincidence! Haha” Yamaguchi chuckled before asking the question, “Anyway, we are heading to the soba place near the dorm. Do you want to walk with us, Ueda-san?”

“Ahhh…Haha.” Katsuki hesitated awkwardly. To be honest, she would rather walk alone but didn’t want to appear rude. Taking a quick glance at Tsukishima to check his expression and maybe get a feel of the situation, she realized that he was already looking at her.

“I don’t really mind.” The smile he flashes looked forced, just like the one he had taking that picture with Toda. Katsuki regretted looking at him because now she would look like an asshole if she refused, even if she had a feeling that he didn’t really want to walk together anyway. Suddenly an idea pops in her mind. Taking her phone out, the brown-eyed girl pretended to have just received a text from a friend.

“Oh, I’m sorry. A friend of mine just reminded me that I promised to meet up. I have to go ahead. See you guys!” She apologized, returning the fake smile the blonde gave her. Then without waiting for a reply she parted ways with the pair. As she walked away, she could not help but notice the curious expression on Tsukishima Kei’s face.

‘Hm? Did he expect me to go with them?’ She wondered if she misinterpreted the blonde's intentions as she escaped from what she felt was awkward situation. While she had always been the type of express her thoughts honestly, it was not beneath her to make a few white lies to escape from awkward situations. But as they say, lies can come biting you in the back when you least expect them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of long chapter. Was actually supposed to be broken down into shorter chapters but I decided to just put them all together in one.

* * *

“Katsuki-chan!”

She never really minded people calling her on a first name basis but by the tone of the person’s voice, Katsuki had a feeling they had an ulterior motive for wanting to talk. That was enough to make her want to ignore the person, but given the situation, she didn’t think she could really escape.

“Mm?” She snaps around, facing Toda Nanami who was walking quickly to catch up with her. Katsuki takes a second to study her. While certainly not as tall as Tsukishima Kei, Toda was definitely taller than the average person. She had long red hair, blue eyes, pale and smooth skin, and a pretty face. She looked like she came out of a magazine cover and had an air of confidence around her to match.

“Who was that with you and Tsukishima earlier?”

‘Wow, she really cut right to the chase.’ Katsuki thought as she looked right back at the redhead’s expectant face.

“Oh, that was Yamaguchi Tadashi. He lives in the same dorm as I do and apparently, he’s close with Tsukishima too.” She replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Katsuki couldn’t help but notice how focused the redhead was staring at her. It was as if Toda Nanase was scrutinizing her face.

“What about him?” Katsuki asks, throwing the taller girl off. Toda Nanase was used to having other girls finding her too intimidating to question her, but little did she know that Katsuki was not one to shy away from asking people about their motives.

“Oh! Nothing! See you tomorrow! Heehee!” The way she giggled at the end didn’t really convince Katsuki that it was ‘nothing.’ In any case, she didn’t think it was a big problem so she continued on her way home, quickly forgetting about the conversation.

* * *

“When they say it’s going to bite you in the back, they really mean it huh?” Katsuki muttered under her breath as she unlocked the door to her dorm room. She took a tiny peek inside to check how messy her room was. Seeing that it was pretty organized, she opened the door wide around to let her group mates in. Yep. All four of them, including Tsukishima Kei, who was not against it due to Katsuki’s room being in the same floor as Yamaguchi’s. For him, it meant he could hang out with his friend right after the meeting.

The group was supposed to meet in the library that afternoon, but when everyone got there, it was already packed. Toda Nanami, then somehow made the suggestion that all of them could meet in Katsuki’s dorm room, seeing as it was “probably close to uni.”

‘What a coincidence.’ Was Katsuki’s first thought at that time. She was thinking sarcastically, of course. Still she couldn't exactly figure out why the redhead wanted to meet in her place.

Well, it’s not like she minded too much. Dorm rooms were usually small but hers had more space than most, probably due to the price. Still it wasn’t like it was the size of a house. It was a studio with a bed in one corner, a studying desk beside it, and a small kitchen and dining on the other side. Katsuki also had her own ‘en suite’ bathroom that even had a tiny tub for hot baths.

“Wow. It’s huge. Your family must be loaded, Ueda!” Wagamatsu commented, eyeing the room with an impressed face. The brown-eyed girl laughs awkwardly and denies it how a normal person would, but she doubts his opinion would change.

While everyone was settling down around the small dining table on the floor, Katsuki strode towards the kitchenette to take out drinks and snacks to offer the rest of the group. It wasn't long until the discussion started on how they were going to tackle the project. The most active ones during the discussion were Katsuki, Kondo, and Tsukishima. Meanwhile, Toda made sure to agree enthusiastically with everything Tsukishima said, while Wagamatsu agreed with anything anyone said. He sometimes repeated what someone else has already mentioned but he made sure to word it in a more complicated way to make it seem like he contributed something to the discussion.

Everything seemed like it was about to go well, until it happened.

* * *

“HA?! You do know that the Paleolithic Age lasted 20,000 years right? Therefore, there would be more examples that we need to discuss.” Tsukishima insisted, starting to sound annoyed that the brunette wasn’t backing down.

The brown-haired girl and the tall blonde had reached a point of argument about how much time should be spent in the group presentation discussing a certain topic. While Tsukishima thought it was necessary to set aside more time for the previous topic, Katsuki believed that it wasn’t as important as the topic succeeding it. The two had been arguing back and forth for several minutes now, trying hard to make the other give up their stance on the matter.

“Of course, I know that." She scoffs. "But the Mesolithic Period saw the rise to permanent settlements. Surely, you would know that that means there would be more diverse cultures AND art forms which would require more discussion time?” She argued back, starting to raise her voice a little due to her own frustration.

“Ah-hem.” Kondo, who was the most senior in the group, cleared his throat. This earned silence from both sides as them waited to hear what their upperclassman was about to say. For both of them it could make or break their argument.

“I think we should just split them evenly. What does everyone else think?” He added, to which both Toda and Wagamatsu hastily agreed. It didn’t surprise Katsuki since the two of them had these worried looks in their faces while she and Tsukishima argued. It didn't mean she wasn't disappointed with the outcome, however.

“Alright.” She and Tsukishima said in unison. It seemed as if that would be the end of that exchange but Katsuki caught how the blond scowled at her out of the corner of her eye. Returning his gaze to glare at him, Katsuki's eyes widened as Tsukishima flashes a mocking smirk that somehow set something off inside of her.

She almost scoffed to herself as she turned away to close her eyes. Trying not to let herself lose her cool, she concentrated on calming herself. ‘I am not going to hit him. Nothing will come out of me bitch slapping that handsome face of his.’ Katsuki convinced herself, managing to calm down after a few deep breaths. ‘Besides, what’s the point of having a pretty boy face if your personality is that fake?’ She thought, turning to meet his eyes to flash a fake smile right back at him. She was determined not to let him have the satisfaction of knowing he pisses her off.

“TCH.” She heard him his tongue as he went back to work.

The rest of the meeting was pretty uneventful, and soon it came to an end. Much to Katsuki's dismay, the group decided to meet in her dorm again the next week. Thankfully, Tsukishima said he was not going to make it due to his Volleyball team’s practice. He did say that he was going to send his part in advance to make it easier for the rest of the group. Hearing that somehow gave the brunette a bit of relief.

* * *

Katsuki was walking the rest of the group to the elevator, when Toda Nanami made a sudden suggestion, “Oh! How about we grab dinner together?” She was obviously looking expectantly at Tsukishima, who seemed like he was contemplating on pretending not to have heard her. She wanted to laugh at the situation but the “ _we_ ” in “How about we grab dinner together?” seemed to include her. Katsuki was trying to come up with another excuse when the elevator door opened and out came Yamaguchi.

“Ah! Yamada-san?” Toda Nanami called out, failing to recall Yamaguchi’s name.

“It’s Yamaguchi. Haha. Do I know you?” The green-haired guy answered awkwardly, giving the redhead a slightly confused look.

“I’m Tsukishima’s group mate, Toda Nanami. We saw each other yesterday! I wasn’t able to talk to you, though. Nice to meet you.” She flashed him a bright smile and bowed as she introduced herself. Yamaguchi bowed back and introduced himself again, still looking a bit confused because he didn’t remember seeing her yesterday. “I really hope we become *close* friends.” Katsuki didn’t think she could smile any wider but that girl managed. Her face almost hurt seeing the tall redhead's contorted but still pretty face.

Meanwhile, Yamaguchi was visibly sweating at the awkward interaction, not knowing how to reply. But Toda Nanami seemed as if she wasn’t finished. “Ah we were just talking about eating dinner together. We just finished the group meeti—”

“Actually, Yamaguchi and I have plans. Sorry.” Tsukishima quickly cut her off. Then muttering something to Yamaguchi, the pair disappeared into the room next to the the one they had all just exited without really saying goodbye.

“I have to make a call. See you guys in class.” Katsuki finally piped in, giving a lousy excuse before going back to her room. She guessed that it didn’t matter because it wasn’t her that redhead wanted to eat with anyway.

* * *

Once inside her room, Katsuki decided to stretch her back a little and proceeded to take her evening bath. She wanted to take her sweet time due to that day's stressful happenings, but realized that she was getting quite hungry. So she decided to get out of the bath and go outside for dinner. After putting on a hoodie and a pair of denim shorts, she proceeded to walk outside, only to be met by the pair next door.

“Ah, Ueda. Are you out for dinner too? Tsukki and I are going to get WcDonalds. Wanna come with?” Yamaguchi smiled as he invited the brown-eyed girl for dinner. She cast a cautious glance towards the blonde beside him who seemed disinterested in the conversation.

‘Why does this keep happening to me?’ Katsuki thought to herself as she tried to come up with yet another excuse.

“Ah. Hahaha. I’m not really—” She was about to say that she ‘wasn't really hungry’ when her stomach made a loud grumbling noise. She was pretty sure both guys heard it too because they immediately looked at the source of the sound.

“Heehhh. You weren’t about to say that you’re not really hungry, were you?” Tsukishima asked with a taunting look on his face.

‘Ugh. I wanna punch him.’

“Heeehhhh. I was gonna say I DON’T REALLY mind going with you.” She managed to retort with a sweet voice and her best smile, even though deep inside she was actually imagining how nice it would feel to squeeze that blondie’s neck right now. Thinking about it, that image in her head probably helped her force the smile.

And that was she ended up eating dinner with the two. They really did go to WcDonalds. After receiving their orders, the three found an empty table with the and sat down to eat.

“So how did the meeting go?” Yamaguchi started, seemingly oblivious to the unfriendly air between Katsuki and Tsukishima.

“It was fine,” was the blond’s curt reply. And Katsuki thought that was going to be that, but then he added. “Oh but, do they put some sort of chemical in the water in your dorm? 'Cause it seems to me like chibi-chan, here, somehow lost maybe half of her IQ. And I thought you had to pass an exam to enter university?” 

To which Yamaguchi laughs awkwardly, glancing nervously at the two.

‘Wow. Seriously? This is what I have to deal with for the rest of the semester?’ The thought and the taunting expression on the tall blond's face was almost enough to make Katsuki lose appetite (except she was really hungry).

She could only glare at him as she was in the middle of chewing her burger, too hungry to come up with a clever retort.

“You look like a hamster. Is that how you really eat?” Tsukishima laughed mockingly as he continued to make fun of the brunette, holding up a single French fry between his index finger and his thumb. Immediately, the sight of it made the girl burst out in laughter.

“Ha? What’s wrong with you? Did you go crazy?” The blond asked in confusion, seemingly perplexed at the girl's reaction.

“You… that..hahaha..french fr—HAHAHA…” Katsuki tried to explain in between fits of laughter but she couldn't stop laughing at the resemblance. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima continue to look at her in confusion until she was able to calm down and explain herself.

“Tsukishima, you look like that piece of French fry! PUHAHAHAHAHA” She finally managed to blurt out before exploding back into laughter. Yamaguchi snorted, recalling all those times his friend was teased for being blonde and lanky. Eventually, the green-haired guy couldn’t help himself and joined in the laughter.

“You’re an idiot! Is your IQ so low that you can’t even tell a human and food apart?!” Tsukishima sat across the girl, trying not to show that he was flustered by her comment, even though his face had clearly turned red. His outburst drew the brunette's attention, but seeing his reddening face just made her think of ketchup on a French fry. This caused her to actually tear up while laughing, and the blond to look away in embarassment.

It wasn't long before Katsuki finished eating and excused herself. Yamaguchi said goodbye, but the French fry refused to even acknowledge her. She chuckled at this and said goodbye to him anyway.

“Take care, Yama-chan! Don’t get blown away by the wind, French fry-san.” She called out to the pair.

“TCH.”

She chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character Profile: Ueda Katsuki  
> Brown waist length hair, brown eyes  
> Age : 19 years  
> Birthday: March 28  
> Degree Major: Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Art History  
> Dream: To be a 'paintings conservator'  
> Family background: Father works and lives overseas; they 'live comfortably' but wouldn't be what you would call 'absurdly rich'


	3. Reader's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader's point of view because I changed the POV at the last minute and now I'm lazy to edit. Will/might edit later. :D That's how crappy I am as an author. XD

“Oi, chibi! What do you want from JFC?” Tsukishima called out, making you turn away from your laptop screen for a bit. He was on the phone, ordering dinner.

You didn’t know how she managed to do it, but Toda Nanami managed to make Tsukishima agree on letting your group stay in his dorm to finish the draft of your project. Somehow, due to everyone’s mismatched schedules your group ended up falling behind. As a result, you had to cram the leftover work that night.

Everyone agreed to get delivery for dinner.

“Erm. I’m fine with whatever.” You replied with a small smile, not really keen on deciding what to eat.

“Please wait a moment.” He spoke into the phone before covering the microphone and turning to you. “They said they didn’t have a ‘whatever’ meal in their menu, chibi.” He said, flashing you the same smirk you keep wanting to wipe off his face.

“Then I’ll have whatever Meal 1 is!” You hissed back at him, not having enough brain resources to focus on the asshole and your group project at the same time.

“They don’t have a ‘whatever Meal 1’ either.” He spoke in the same mocking tone, making heat rise from your core.

“Just get me a fricking chicken burger!”

“They don’t have a ‘fricking—”

“TSUKISHIMA KEI!” You glared at him but you could swear he was smiling to himself when he returned to the call.

“Hai. And one chicken burger meal please.”

* * *

Soon the food arrived and everyone was eating while working.

“Hamster.” You heard a familiar mocking voice mutter. It wasn’t loud enough for the whole group to hear but since he was sitting on the kotatsu across and almost beside you, you heard what he said.

“French fry.” You retort in the same quiet voice. You peeked at his face and notice that he remained unfazed by your usual name-calling. You figured it was going to lose its effect at some point, but it was still disappointing to see it didn’t have its usual effect.

After dinner, everyone went back to work seriously. Thankfully, most of your members seem responsible enough, even Toda and Wagamatsu’s faces were almost scrunched up against their own screens. The sight was enough to make you shake your head and chuckle. Group projects in uni weren’t as bad as you imagined. Little did you know that the blond across you took a glance at you at that exact moment and started to feel curious about your expression.

Suddenly you felt something move against your left outer thigh. Seeing as to how you were sitting on the corner of the kotatsu, you knew whose leg it was. You looked up to raise your eyebrow at the French fry but he seemed to be immersed in his own work so you decided to brush it off. While you were startled by it, you honestly didn’t mind the sensation and soon forgot about it.

* * *

“Ughhhh!” You fell back on the floor stretching your arms and back. It was getting pretty late. You checked the clock and saw that it was already 2:27AM. You had around a fourth of the work left but at this point you felt like your brain can’t take anymore.

Your groupmates looked at you with tired eyes. It seemed like everyone was trying to keep awake as much as you so you decided it was time.

“I’m getting coffee outside. You guys want any?” You stood up, grabbing your hoodie and your wallet.

“Oh, Katsuki-chan! Can I come with you?” Toda chimed in a suddenly perky voice. There it was again. You could tell from her tone that she had an ulterior motive but you didn’t really mind the company.

“Sure,” you replied and the girl quickly stood up to join you.

“Yay!”

Stepping outside you remember how chilly it could get in late October. You shudder and stick your hands in the pocket of your hoodie to keep them warm.

“So, Katsuki-san…” Todo Nanami’s tone had changed from when you were both still in Tsukishima’s dorm. Not that it surprised you, but you turned to look at her as you walked to the convenience store.

“Are you interested in Tsukishima?” She asked in a serious voice. And in a way, I guess you expected it (?). She seemed interested in him and you knew you and the French fry bantered a lot. ‘But wow. It feels like I’m in some sort of drama.’ You thought to yourself.

“What do you mean ‘interested’?” You asked with the most innocent face you could make, meaning to piss her off a little bit. ‘I mean, if you’re going to be prying like this, I might as well have fun with you.’ You laughed evilly in your head.

“I mean!” She suddenly stopped walking. You could see that your reply made her flustered. “Do you—like him?”

You snorted. You couldn’t help it. The redhead looked at you with a confused and startled expression on her face. “What is it?!” She demanded.

“I mean…” You laughed. “Does the way I talk to him seem like I like him?” I look at her expectantly, and that seemed to get her thinking.

“Well I guess you two look like you hate each other…” She mumbles quietly.

“Exactly.”

“You two look like you’re really close, though.” She whined, glaring at you.

“Hah! I think that’s the farthest thing from reality.” You reply, but the thought of how she perceived the relationship between you and the blond got you curious if other people saw it that way as well. You certainly didn’t. You just thought of him as an acquaintance who was more than often annoying.


End file.
